Duk County And Moran Eye Center Outreach At Home And Abroad

We mentioned some of the outreach work that the Moran Eye Center does a few posts ago. There is now a documentary, Duk County (trailer linked in the above video) about the humanitarian expedition to South Sudan to restore vision to those who have lost it through cataracts and trachoma mediated blindness. There is also a link and article from National Geographic Adventure Blog here.

The Moran Eye Center‘s first eye intervention in South Sudan is documented in that film, but our Alan S. Crandall, MD, and Dr. Charles Weber, MD, recently completed a second major ophthalmic medical mission to South Sudan. As part of a life-changing five-year initiative, the team once again traveled to the war-torn region to provide eye surgeries to the visually impaired with a small medical team, carrying in every single supply, from Q-tips to microscopes. Through the efforts of Drs. Crandall and Weber, they helped restore sight to 325 patients with cataracts and trachoma.

After finding cataracts far more advanced than expected on their 2011 mission, the team returned in 2012 with a hand-held ultrasound machine that allows them to see into the back of the eye no matter how opaque the front of the eye is during the initial screening. “The clinic in South Sudan is quite bare, but we are able to bring all the supplies we need in order to successfully operate on patients. Last year, we operated as bats flew around our heads and relied on a generator that didn’t always work. Fortunately, there is a new operating room that better suits the needs of the patients,” said Crandall.

Partnering with the John Dau Foundation, the Moran Eye Center also took part in a profoundly moving peace initiative between three warring tribes. Although South Sudan has a violent history and unstable conditions, the Moran Eye Center has committed to improve the quality of life of those affected with curable blindness.